New documentary to reveal how Chris Evans’ wings and shell were hidden for Avengers films

A new documentary, available exclusively on Disney+, is set to reveal how Chris Evans’ wings and shell were hidden for his performances as Captain America.

Famously raised by a colony of beetles after being lost as a baby during an expedition to the rainforests of Brazil led by his dentist father, Evans developed a hard shell and wings in anticipation of his life as a beetle within the colony.

However, a chance viewing of classic James Bond film For Your Eyes Only instilled in him a love of movies and a determination to become an actor.

He made an early impression in the Fantastic Four films, with their hilarious naked-invisible-women-becomes-visible-in-public jokes, and his shell and wings were easily covered by the fire special effect that turned him into the Human Torch.

His role of Captain America was much more difficult, however.

“Thing with Cap, is he’s ostensibly a human with no shell and wings,” explained Kelly Port, an ILM visual effects supervisor.

“Initially, there was talk of giving Captain America a shell and wings, but that was swiftly dismissed as not true to the character.

“Then we made a costume to cover the shell and wings, but that lent Chris a really odd shape.”

Ultimately, the wings and shell were removed in post-production using computer technology

“Yeah, it’s pretty easy to do that. Come to think of it, it was probably crazy to waste time with the costume idea. What the hell were we thinking?”

The techniques proved successful for the large part, with the exception of the famous moment in Avengers: Age of Ultron when Captain America appears to sprout wings during an early encounter with Von Strucker.

As well as revealing how Chris Evans’ shell and wings were digitally removed, the documentary will also reveal how the Marvel visual effects team were successfully able to remove Robert Downey Junior’s vestigial legs and Scarlett Johansson’s tusks.